Nissan Pathfinder

Nissan Pathfinder

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With its pathfinding days behind it, the Pathfinder eschews the go-anywhere capability of its past and now joins the three-row crossover crowd. The big Nissan is a flexible family hauler and interstate cruiser that favors comfort, quiet, and fuel economy over dynamics and spirited performance. The sole engine choice is a 260-hp 3.5-liter V-6 with a CVT; front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional. It’s not exactly slow, but the CVT is unrefined and noisy. Instrumented Test – 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid

2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid AWD

Pump-whipped in the quest for fuel-efficiency.

Nissan’s Pathfinder emerged for the 2013 model year wholly retooled for life in the modern world. The ladder-frame construction, rugged squared-off exterior, and respected 4.0-liter V-6 of the previous-generation Pathfinder were all ditched in the makeover to clear the way for a unitized body structure, soft exterior curves, and a smaller engine positioned transversely to facilitate, horror of horrors, front-wheel drive. Like many 20th-century hangovers looking for relevance in the new century, the logical next step in the Pathfinder’s evolution was a hybrid powertrain. Which brings us to the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder hybrid tested here.

Platinum Status

Finished in fetching Black Obsidian paint, our Pathfinder hybrid arrivedin Platinum trim, a $2300 option. Including a pair of headrest-mounted seven-inch rear-entertainment screens, a pair of wireless headphones, a remote control, and an auxiliary-input jack for the entertainment device of your choice, the package is ideal for keeping one’s biological byproducts sedated in the back seats. If their catatonic state should wane, a dual panorama moonroof affords easy skyward gazes. Platinum trim also includes a set of futuristic-looking 20-inch twin-spoke aluminum wheels wearing 235/55 all-season rubber. A swanky set of $200 floor mats rounded out our test hybrid’s kit.

Taken on its own merits (we’ll get to the specifics of the hybrid powertrain in a bit) the Pathfinder is the same utey-crossover we’ve come to know in the form of our long-term V-6 Pathfinder. The three-row, seven-seat interior configuration swallows families and their attendant detritus with ease. The second-row seats fold forward to provide access to the third row in the wayback, which still folds flat despite residing directly over the hybrid’s lithium-ion battery pack. Nissan tells us the battery pack is so compact, it doesn’t intrude on interior space at all. Heated-and-cooled front seats come part and parcel with the Platinum trim, and we found them to be comfortable and well configured for their suburban mission. All Pathfinder hybrids get an eight-way power driver’s seat, a rearview camera, a seven-inch central infotainment screen, and Nissan’s Intelligent Key with pushbutton starting. The gauge cluster doesn’t stray too far from that of non-hybrid Pathfinders, but the 4.2-inch display between the speedo and tach is entrusted with informing the driver about hybrid-specific info detailing battery charge and the electric motor’s current state of operation.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Standing in for the 3.5-liter V-6 gas engine found in non-hybrid Pathfinders is a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a continuously variable transmission with a 20-hp electric motor sandwiched between them. (It’s identical to the hybrid powertrain in the Infiniti QX60 hybrid.) Together, they produce a combined 250 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of twist, giving up only 10 ponies to the V-6’s 260, and bettering its 240 lb-ft of torque by 3. On paper, it looks like a win/win, with a negligible amount of horsepower sacrificed for a substantial improvement in efficiency. After all, the EPA gives the Pathfinder hybrid 4x4 a combined EPA fuel economy rating of 26 mpg, 5 mpg better than the V-6–powered Pathfinder 4x4.

But things are not always as they seem. Any hopes of the Pathfinder’s hybrid technology triumphing over the gas pump were crushed when our test numbers revealed a 19-mpg average. Not bad for an SUV, but a good bit off the EPA’s 26-mpg combined mark. While some of that discrepancy can be chalked up to the heavy right-foot driving typical of C/D staffers, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that our long-term V-6–powered 2013 Pathfinder has been returning a consistent 20 mpg, just one mpg below its EPA combined estimate, under those same feet. Factor in the $3000 premium the hybrid commands over a non-hybrid version ($45,210 vs. $42,210 in Platinum trim), and the hybrid technology as incorporated here suddenly seems pointless.

A similar fate befell the last Toyota Highlander hybrid we tested. Rated by the EPA at 28 mpg in both city and highway cycles, the Highlander’s fuel economy also dropped precipitously in our hands, turning in an observed 22 mpg. Employing two electric motors and a V-6 gasoline engine, the Highlander is a different breed of hybrid, but the numbers bear out a recurrent theme: A soft touch is needed to get the most out of hybrids, especially SUVs tipping the scales at close to 5000 pounds, and even then the results might not pencil to your advantage.

We were pleased to find that the 4x4 system offered three modes of driver-selected operation via a dial on the faux-wood console: Front-wheel drive for maximum economy; automatic operation, which monitors conditions and feeds torque to all four wheels when necessary; or four-wheel-drive lock, which is selected by turning the dial and then depressing an integral button.

Although the suspension tuning is on target for around-town duty and long-distance highway hauls, there’s no love lost between our staff and the Pathfinder’s continuously variable transmission and its indifferent electrohydraulic steering. While cruising, the supercharged 2.5-liter keeps a low profile, but when extra power is needed for passing, merging, or climbing grades, the CVT lets the four-cylinder get its rev on, putting the engine’s raucous post-4000 rpm personality on full volume. From rest, 60 mph comes up in 7.6 seconds, and the quarter-mile marker arrives in 16.1, so at least it’s not Prius-league slow. And the hybrid powertrain is rated to tow up to 3500 pounds, although we can’t imagine employing the hybrid as a tow vehicle on any sort of regular basis. Hauling the 4788-pound SUV down from 70 mph required 175 feet, right in league with the 170 feet needed by our long-term V-6 Pathfinder. As with the rest of the hybrid’s driving dynamics, the braking action is simply a means to an end, devoid of involvement save for the non-linear feel of the regenerative braking that requires significant compensation by the driver.

We’re pleased the remixed Pathfinder has found a niche in the modern world, slotting in between the cute-utes and gargantuan body-on-frame SUVs. The world can use that type of vehicle. But by our testing, it’s hard to justify the added mass and cost this hybrid brings to the table.